


Always Left Behind

by FantasticalNonsense



Series: Avatar Katara (ATLA Element Swap AU) [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Brief Mentions of Minor Character Death, Child Abandonment, Childhood Trauma, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Pre-Canon, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23902009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasticalNonsense/pseuds/FantasticalNonsense
Summary: 97 AG. Aang watches helplessly as the Fire Nation takes another parent from him.
Relationships: Aang & Haokda (Avatar)
Series: Avatar Katara (ATLA Element Swap AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718407
Kudos: 15





	Always Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [attackfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/attackfish/gifts).



> This drabble is ripped right out of Sokka's flashback from 1x15 'Bato of the Water Tribe.' Not my most original work, but I wanted to show the subtle differences with how Aang would handle his father leaving him vs how Sokka handled it in-canon. 
> 
> And if you thought thirteen-year-old Sokka trudging after Hakoda was heartbreaking, feel free to picture a tiny ten-year-old Aang doing the same with a tinge more desperation.

The Southern Water Tribe harbour—or what passed for one in their reduced circumstances—hadn’t seen so much port activity in years. Men hustled between ships, adjusting sails, loading cargo and equipment, and inspecting the hulls for any hidden damage. They had a long journey ahead, and couldn’t leave anything to chance.

From the icy cliffs that separated the harbour from the village, a small boy looked on anxiously. He couldn’t have been older than ten, yet he was dressed as a warrior in traditional tunic and face paint markings. The paint had taken over an hour to apply with his clumsy fingers and he’d worried that the fleet would leave without him.

Thankfully, it was still here. Grabbing his travel pack, Aang used what little waterbending he knew to help him get down the cliff face, then proceeded to run toward the nearest ship.

That had been a mistake. He fell face-first into the snow.

Aang grunted and brushed himself off. He readjusted the heavy pack. His little arms and legs were tired from carrying it all the way from the village, but he had to keep moving. He continued to the ship at a walking pace, struggling under the weight of his pack.

Finally, he made it to the ship. Using all the strength he had left he threw his pack over the landing. Then, he proceeded to climb aboard.

A large hand caught him by the scruff of the neck.

Aang started and turned his head to see his father, Chief Hakoda, looking down at him in disapproval.

“Hi, Dad,” he said feebly.

Hakoda sighed. “Aang, what are you doing?” he asked, setting him down on the snow.

“I’m coming with you!” the boy declared.

“We’ve been over this, son. You’re not old enough to go to war.”

“But I’m strong! And brave! And I can waterbend! The Fire Nation won’t know what hit ‘em.” Aang looked up pleadingly. “Please, Dad! Please let me go.”

_Don’t leave me like Mom did_.

Hakoda knelt before him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Aang, being a warrior is more than just knowing how to fight or bend. It’s about being where you’re needed most, and right now, for you, that’s here with your grandmother and the other children. I need you to be their protector in our absence.”

Aang’s eyes smarted. His lip wobbled. “I-I don’t understand.”

“Someday, you will.” Hakoda gathered him into his arms and held him tight. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

Aang sobbed and buried himself in his father’s parka.

* * *

In his dreams, he saw the fleet disappear into the morning mist, never to be seen again.

Sometimes, the fleet morphed into Fire Nation ships and dragged his father away in chains.

Sometimes, a Fire Nation soldier was standing in their hut and struck his father down. He always had the same burns as his mother. The two corpses lay entwined together at Aang’s feet, forming a never-ending circle of death and violence from which he couldn’t escape.


End file.
